to think that having a child at the same school as their parents teach at is not fair

[receiverofopiniongiver]

on the child, other children or other teachers?

Disadvantages for the child:-
To demonstrate no favourtism the child is not chosen for anything
If the teacher is unpopular then the child gets it
If the child is chosen for anything then they've either got to be tons better than their classmates or it's only due to them 'being teacher's child'.

Disadvantages for other children:-
If any problems with other child can't go to teacher, as going to their parent so not neutral
If do anything (even minor) to upset the child, will feel the wrath of the teacher more

Disadvantages for other teachers:-
If don't pick child - work colleageue gets upset
If do pick child - accused of favortism
If any problems with child - more difficult as accusing colleague

What are the advantages to the school community in having a teacher's child at the same school as they teach?

My mother was a deeply unpopular teacher and I was made miserable at school because of it. There is a lot of pressure on the 'teacher's kid', believe me.

I now teach and I probably wouldn't teach my own DS. For one, he has autism and it would be hard for him to separate 'mum' and 'teacher' and also I need my 'teacher' head on and wouldn't want to spend the day tying myself up in knots worrying whether I was seen to be fair all the time. Far too exhausting IMO.

I have taught colleagues and close friends kids. Never had a problem with that at all. At the end of the day, the colleagues/friends are pretty well informed at how well their little dear operates and are usually the first to expect you to treat them just like all the others.

OOH this subject is touching a raw nerve for me!
i removed my dd from her last primary school as the Head's son was in her class, and BOY, were we all aware of it!
You would think they would go to lengths not to make it so blindingly obvious that his mum was the Head- but no.
He was the star of the nativity almost every year, the one who won the Golden egg on every Easter hunt, the winning individual/team every sportsday... i could go on. Three other parents took their dc out of the school too for same reason.

I also work in a school where my colleague's dd attends (2ndary)
She likes to check her records every day (using the private school system only accessible to staff) to see how many merits she has, and also how many sanctions. When i have taught this girl recently she has been rude and a pita, so have had to record sanctions for her.
Collegue saw this on her records she went mental at me and accused me of being a shit teacher who cant control a class. She claims she is a lovely girl and that i am just picking on her darling daughter.
It's got so bad now that i am resigning in the summer

Since I was at school in the 70's the helpers , dinner- ladies (and anyone else not a teacher) wields a massive amount of power in the school :(

Teacher's have enough on their plates than to worry about playground/lunch-time politics ~this is where it is sometimes hell for those kids who are picked on by children of staff .

Many school staff (not teacher's ) are extraordinarily cliquey ,they (IMO) run the school and effect the dynamics much more strongly than it is possible to imagine . Gossip is rife and they think they rule ...this effects life in school as much as if they did !

I am sure not all schools have this (I hope ) but with all that my kids have attended ~it has been my sad experience .

I went to the same school my mum taught at and I HATED it. I began to behave in the most appalling ways just to prove I wasn't a "teacher's pet" and made few friends there. It was only when I went to secondary school that I felt I could be myself and actually form relationships with my peers. I know my mum did what thought was best at the time, but I would encourage all mum-teachers to think twice before putting their child in the same school.

It was normal at my school for this to happen an as a lone parent when my daughter is old enough she will go to the school that I'm working at. Logisically I couldn't do it any other way. It was fine when I was at school, no one cared!

What about rural schools? I went to a small town in the country where there was one secondary school. Lots of the teachers' kids went there. Nearest secondary apart from that was 6 miles away, so a 24 mile commute a day for anybody dropping DCs off. Are you really saying that the school only employs childless teachers, or make their kids go to a school 6 miles away?

Might be more diplomatic if the teachers didn't teach their own, but at secondary level that can be difficult if, say, there is one German teacher in the whole school. Or an English teacher who is great with gifted kids and therefore always takes the top set. Can't really ban a kid from German or put them in a lower set.

I taught at my daughter's school for a bit - didn't have any problems, if she played up I just spoke to a colleague and stuck her in a parallel group for a while. No major issues, but then a few of us had kids at the school at the time.

If I had to make the choice between me teaching at or my children attending a good school I'd choose my kids. If it was the "rules" that teachers don't teach at the same school that their kids attend schools could loose a lot of good teachers.
Also what about all the other staff that the school needs to function? Teaching assistants, midday supervisors, office staff. Many of these jobs are often part-time and poorly paid. Local parents take them as they suit their child care arrangements and people are unwilling to travel to our village to do them if their kids aren't at the school. In my experience the teachers can maintain professionalism as they are in a job, but some other staff find it harder. Some midday supervisors are only doing the job to be in school with their children.
In a rural community it is just that a community, so many teachers live nearby. Worst case senario is that rural schools can't get the teachers, TAs and midday staff to remain effective.

Rebecca Ruby, why would a secondary school age child need a parent to drop them off? Why don't they just give them a lift to the nearest bus route?

DS travels 15 miles to school a day, on two buses.

6 miles is hardly a great distance.

Bus route? in the middle of Cornwall? Some places only get three buses a day, if that! School buses are for people in the countryside who live on farms etc. They don't go from one small town with a school to another, there isn't the demand.

Then surely the distance is not the issue, but lack of transport. You can't be in two places at once.

TBH with you - is a PIA with staff and their children in the same school.

Staff overstep boundaries when talking to other staff about their own child. Parents would normally have to make an appointment if it were serious enough not bloody well intrude on my lunch/coffee break etc!

The other down side is you know every little nuance about any other child and you seriously run the risk of not letting your child develop their own skills in picking friends! You also know every little detail of school life - stuff you wouldnt normally know, need to know, or indeed want to know.

I remembered an incident last night after posting here. When I was 15 and on the train my friends and I got talking to some other young teens. They mentioned they went to x school where my dad taught. I said 'oh you must know Mr balloons'. One answers 'yeah, he's a wanker'. I simply replied 'yeah, he's my dad'

The poor boy was so embarassed!! I never took offence as because being 15 myself I thought some of my teavhers were wankers and knew they probably had children themselves.

The thing is being able to treat the teacher appropriatly and with respect regardless of your feelings for/about them.

Oh and my friends dc's school have told her they are looking for a x subject specialist (which she has an amazing talent in) and have a vacancy coming up - they have invited her to apply so schools obviously do not have a problem with it.

I see from the posts in support, that if handled and kept in control the detrimental effect is reduced.

However, I do find it interesting that the main reason for doing it is not for benefit for the child but for monetary and convenience to the parent. The vast majority of the working population have to arrange childcare or travel arrangments for their children, and this is term time and school holidays.

In my schools no children of teachers were present, it did not appear to be a huge issue for the children. My parents worked within separate schools and I never attended either, I was able to get to and from school via bus.

My children are at the school I teach in because that is where they choose to be. Nothing to do with money or convenience. They rarely come in or leave with me so still make their own way in.

DS2 went to the school where I taught, because it was our local school. I made sure I moved up and down the school so I didn't teach his year group. He certainly didn't get favouritism from staff as a teacher's child but I did wonder if he would have been invited to quite so many parties if he wasn't a teacher's child. Some children definitely liked the idea of a teacher turning up at their parties. I used to send DH though.

Well my los school has shoot themselves right in the foot one of the teachers children gose to the school, but the child is very wild swore at a dinner lady last week is banned from the leavers disco.

Done loads of other stuff but their not enough space on here

The teacher is planning to leave next term as his behaviour is very embarrassing as you can imagine and will be placing her other children in a different school

I think it can only work if your child is well behaved and is not the sort to use the fact his parent works at the school to their advantage

But most of the teachers children hate the fact the go to the same school as a parent and keep a low profile but my view is its not good for the child they usually have to fight twice as hard for praise as staff won't want to be seen to be playing favriotes, if they do get into any bother you have to be double hard on them which will also spill into the home situation.

On balance its not a good idea to marry your boss or work in the same place as your oh or work were your children go to school unless say you worked in the sixth form were you wouldn't really see your child Ect

My mam came to teach at the school where my sister and I were. I was in sixth form and it didn't bother me. But it was terrible for my sister and I believe that it has affected their relationship even though she is almost 35.

I went to the school (primary) where my mum taught. At age 5 I was not able to take myself to my appointed catchment school, which was actually about a mile away and on a very busy route. At that point in the morning she had to be on her way to work herself, as did my dad (also a teacher). What were they supposed to do?

This was years ago of course, so quite rare I guess to have had childminders taking kids to school, but even so, I don't think it's at all unreasonable to have kids in the school where their parent teaches.

I think it is more common in rural areas. I was related to a goodly number of people in one of my primary schools, as that was where my family had been living for 300 years - what are you supposed to do if there's only one school in the neighbourhood? Practically every teacher there had a child or spouse at the school. And no, we didn't all wear thick glasses.

But you had webbed fingers?!?

I have never thought anything of it. Apart from how embarrassing it must be for the kid.

There is nothing unfair about it.

I work in a school (support staff, not teaching) 3 of my dcs are in this school. 4 other support staff or TA have their dcs in the school and it has not so far caused any problem. But, I know that a couple of teachers who were due to have their own dcs in their class havemoved them to a different school at that point , for the very reasons you have mentionned in your first post, receiverofopiniongiver.

In my case, If my dcs are making trouble (extremely rare) I usually ask someone else less partial to deal with it, not a problem as there will be enough other "troublemakers" left for me to sort out. Now if one of my Dcs gets accidentally hurt and they come to me, I do with them exactly as I would for any other child , I check them over, give them any care they might need and write them in the accident book, even though I am aware for being there of what happened. I do not want them to feel I care less because they are my children.

It is deeply mortifyingly embarrassing though. But once as a 13 year old you have sat through a whole school assembly given by your father at which he played his favourite music nothing much in life phases you. Its certainly character building.